Four Loveless Years, One Unforgettable Goodbye

The fact that Bryan hadn't had a child yet weighed heavily on Cody's mind.

Summoning the young couple into his study, he fixed them with a look of stern authority.

"Bryan, you and Willa have been married four years now," he said, voice carrying the weight of expectation. "Let's be frank—when are you two going to give me a great-grandchild?"

Willa's lips pressed into a thin line as her gaze flickered briefly to her own belly.

She didn't utter a word.

Bryan finally broke the silence. "Stuff like this doesn't happen overnight," he noted with a shrug.

"Utter nonsense!" Cody snapped, his cane thudding sharply against the floor. "You're just making excuses and brushing off what I've said."

A gentler look crossed his face as he shifted his gaze to Willa.

To him, she had always been the model granddaughter-in-law—gentle, patient, swallowing every grievance without complaint.

Without a hint of emotion, Bryan kept his face unreadable. "Grandpa, I'm just telling the truth. These things can't be rushed."

That only stoked Cody's irritation. He lifted the cane again and gave Bryan a firm tap on the shoulder.

"Enough out of you! Don't think I missed the news that made the rounds online last time..." He broke off mid-sentence, his tone flipping in an instant as he smiled kindly at Willa. "Ah, maybe my old eyes were fooling me. Willa, if this brat ever dares to mistreat you, you come straight to me."

Those words made Willa's chest tighten as she remembered the cold reception she had received from Bryan over the past four years. Her nose stung, and tears welled before she could stop them.

Standing close, Bryan wore a grim look, the crease between his brows growing sharper. "Seriously? You're crying over something this small?"

For a moment, Cody stiffened, convinced Bryan had actually done something unforgivable. "Apologize to Willa this instant," he commanded.

"Grandpa, I haven't wronged her. There's no reason I should be apologizing," Bryan countered, just as Cody's cane cracked against his knee.

A low grunt escaped him, his leg buckling from the blow.

Startled, Willa dabbed at her tears and quickly said, "No, really, it's nothing. A little bug flew into my eye, that's all."

Bryan shot her a frigid glance and muttered under his breath, "Willa, are you crying on purpose just so I'll get blamed?"

He dismissed her tears as another bout of needless dramatics.

"I'm sorry," Willa murmured, forcing a smile. "I didn't mean to—there really was a bug."

Cody drew in a slow breath and handed her a packet of tissues, his tone softening. "I'll give you two a little more time," he said meaningfully. "But don't forget—I'm still waiting for a great-grandchild."

Once they stepped out of the study, Willa slipped back into the guest room.

She opened her laptop, her fingers trembling as she typed—medical abortion risks during early pregnancy. Line after line filled the screen, each more terrifying than the last.

She was so absorbed that the faint sound of the door opening slipped right past her.

A tall shadow crossed the light behind her, the air shifting as someone came close enough for her to feel it—warm breath brushing the back of her neck, sending a chill through her spine.

Jolted by surprise, Willa slammed her laptop shut, pulse hammering in her ears.

"What are you looking at?" Bryan drawled, his tone sharp with suspicion. "You look like you've been caught red-handed. What's on there—something indecent?"

He leaned closer until his broad chest brushed against her narrow shoulders, the faint scent of cologne and heat closing in. His brows drew together as he realized how much weight she'd lost since the last time he'd held her.

Forcing calm, Willa slid the laptop to the side. She said coolly, "Just porn."

Bryan's mouth twisted into a smirk. "Porn, huh? Tell me, are you that desperate for intimacy? Or is it that I fail to satisfy you in bed, and now you've started watching garbage to make up for it?"

The dam of her restraint finally cracked. Four years' worth of frustration burned through her voice. "I used to think you were good-looking enough to make up for your flaws," she sneered. "Even if you didn't last long, I could live with it. But it turns out, you're terrible at it too. Guess I have to look elsewhere for satisfaction."

That fierce defiance had always been part of her. If not for being blinded by love back then, she would never have entangled herself with Bryan, no matter how rich he was.

Bryan's lip curled into a cruel sneer. "I'm not taking that."

Their closeness was suffocating. He could feel the soft press of her chest against him—unexpectedly full for her slight figure.

His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "You like crying in front of Grandpa so much? I can make you cry for real, and in a thousand different ways. Want me to prove it?"

Though he felt a physical pull toward her, he wrote it off as mere desire.

Despite herself, Willa's cheeks flushed, betraying both disbelief and the faint stir of heat his brazen words provoked.